New Delhi: India's premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was ruled out of the 10th Indian Premier League due to recurrence of sports hernia and recent reports suggest that the Tamil Nadu offie might be replaced Australia's premier spinner Nathan Lyon.
Ashwin plays for Rising Pune Supergiant, a team which will be led by Australian cricket team captain Steve Smith and that certainly adds more credibility in the reports linking the team with Lyon.
A report in Sportskeeda stated that Pune skipper Smith is pushing the franchise owners to replace the Ashwin with Lyon. "It could well be skipper Steve Smith's call if he wants to replace the best Indian spinner with the best Australian spinner. If that happens, it will be interesting to see if Lyon has the same impact as Ashwin," a source was quoted saying.
Ashwin, a key member of the Indian team across all formats, will be required 100 percent fit during the upcoming Champions Trophy starting June 1.
The 30-year-old all-rounder has featured in all the 13 home Test matches this season, handling unbelievable workload of bowling close to 750 overs.
He has taken an astounding 81 wickets this season, highest by any Indian bowler, and also contributed handsomely in bulk of India's 10 Test victories.
A host of Indian national team players would either miss or be rested from a few games after a gruelling Test season.
(With PTI inputs)
